


Training Days

by Sphye



Category: Eldemore
Genre: I imagine Niles to be like twelve here while Sorren is fourteen and Willy is like seventeen, Slight #Sorry going on here, the teen warning is really only because little Niles swears once
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-04
Updated: 2016-11-04
Packaged: 2018-08-29 00:33:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8468959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sphye/pseuds/Sphye
Summary: Sorren, Willy, and Niles training under Master Thanatos in their youth.





	

"Alright," Felix said, heels of his boots clicking as he stepped to the side to present the day's training.

 

A series of blocks, beams, ropes, and green-tinted and foul-smelling water below it all stood before the three apprentices.

 

"Terrain. The Talon Branch has to be able to move swiftly and quietly in a variety of situations. Not every situation will call for such a dramatic chase," the mentor said, "but when it is necessary, you'll need to be prepared."

 

A younger Wilhelm raised his hand high, The formality of such a motion might have been a joke, but one never could tell with Amadeus.

 

"Is something the matter, Wilhelm?" Felix asked, raising his eyebrow at the red-headed pirate whose facial hair was limited to a sad little soulpatch.

 

"When's the last time this course's been cleaned?" he asked, his voice accented in what might have held something of the Celtlands.

 

Felix smiled, eyes closed and far too calm. "How about whoever scores lowest gets that job?" he suggested, causing the youth to cringe in disgust.

 

"Sorren," Felix called, gesturing for the black-haired halfborn to stand. "How about you go first? Your balance and intuition ought to give you an edge, and you're light on your feet." Felix cocked his head in another deceitful grin. "It should be plenty easy for you."

 

Sorren got to his feet slowly, adjusting his ponytail with his eyes closed.

 

"Show 'im yer assets!" Willy shouted, soliciting a groan from everyone else present.

 

"Is that a euphemism for anything, Willy?" Niles chuckled, voice cracking subtly.

 

"Niles! For shame. Itty bitty one like you, thinkin' shameful thoughts," he said dramatically. His words were interrupted by a sudden splash and the smell of stagnant water. Willy stood faster than Niles would have expected he could have, staring into the pool of the obstacle course.

 

"Ah," Felix said as though he had forgotten. "Some of those platforms are less steady than others. It'll take more than a quick glance to find your way across."

 

Sorren scowled, treading water. His now-wet bangs fell over his avian eye, nearly hiding it completely.

 

"Willy!" Felix shouted abruptly before he could offer Sorren a hand out. "You're up next."

 

"Can I get a second t'-" he asked, gesturing to the soggy teen, but a whistle screeched, urging him to go immediately. "Alright, alright!" he grumbled, making his way up the starting platform with what looked like a lack of balance certainly not helpful for the task.

 

"Unfortunate," Niles commented, lying on his belly at the edge of the pool where Sorren was trying to find a handhold to climb out. Sorren didn't bother to give him a response.

 

For being the heaviest of the three apprentices, Willy leapt with surprising agility from platform to platform. An attempt to swing across a chasm on a conveniently located rope, however, proved much less helpful than he had anticipated when the rope came detached from its anchoring-place mid-swing. Willy shrieked in an very undignified manner, hitting the water flat on his back with a splash that made even Felix cringe.

 

"Aaaalright then," Felix said, trying his hardest not to look back at where Willy had landed. "Niles, you're up."

 

Willy swam to the edge where Sorren sat, shivering and wrinkling his nose against the scent. "Got a spare hand?" Willy asked, treading water at Sorren's feet. Sorren rolled his eyes, reaching for his friend's hand. "Not bad, Will," he said moodily.

 

Willy flopped out of the pool something like a walrus, shimmying his way to dry ground. "Don't be bitter, Sorren," he said, reaching a hand out to ruffle that of Sorren's hair that wasn't pulled back tightly. His hand was swatted away before he could reach, but Sorren's hand was on his, so we wasn't going to complain. "The thing's probably rigged through-and-through," he said, turning his attention to Niles' run through the course.

 

For his benefit, Niles had made it as far as Willy had. The rope was now gone, fallen to wherever Willy had initially landed. He looked over the surrounding course, golden eyes surveying everything he could see.

 

Stairs... Stairs leading out of the water at the other end. The chasm he faced was too wide to leap, and he had no room for a running leap nor any other surfaces to use to his advantage...

 

He dove into the water, making barely a splash with his intentional dive. The same silence couldn't be said for his doggy-paddle swimming, but he made his way to where the stairs exited the course, earning a whistle blow from Felix.

 

"One out of the three of you completed the course," he announced.

 

"Are ye serious?" Willy asked, incredulous.

 

Felix smiled. "The water wasn't the ending-point," he said cheerfully. "It was part of the course as much as anything else. Arguably, this doubled as an exercise in thinking outside of the box." He turned to Niles, whose shaggy brown hair was nearly black now that it was soaked. "Well done! You'll all need a bath now, but hopefully even those who didn't complete the course learned from it."

 

Niles grinned smugly at the older two boys.

 

"What's with the face, swampy?" Willy joked. "Ye might have a little something... well, everywhere. Hope those clothes wash easily."

 

"Not like you're any better off," Niles smirked.

 

"Eh," Willy shrugged. "Ye've got me there. Ye're, what, sev'nty pounds though, right? Y' couldn't have made one of the platforms fall if ye had jumped up and down on it," he teased.

 

"Will," Sorren said. "Shut up."

 

"You two really are cute," Niles mocked, eying Willy's hand over Sorren's.

 

Sorren glared, pulling his hand back as black pinpricks speckled his face and hands.

 

"Sweet of y' to say," Willy said quickly, ignoring Niles for the moment. "Sorr, ye feelin' alright?"

 

"He fell first, so I'm sure his pride is more hurt than anything," Niles shrugged.

 

"Would you  _ can it _ ," Sorren said, not looking at either of them. He appeared to be making a noticeable effort to control his breathing. Niles looked like he was about to make another jab, but Willy's expression hardened as he stared down the youngest of the trio.

 

"Not now," he mouthed emphatically.

 

Niles frowned. "Whatever," he said, as though he were bored. He made his way over to Felix.

 

"More likely than not to fish for attention over winning," Willy said, quickly turning his attention back towards Sorren.

 

"Ye need to talk about an'thing?" he asked.

 

Sorren shook his head, breathing controlled. "I've got this," he said shortly. His face still formed a bitter expression.

 

"He had y' go first to show us that it wouldn't be easy," Willy consoled. "If ye'd seen me fall first, ye would've been much more focused," he said.

 

"I've got this, Will," Sorren said again, clenching his fists.

 

Willy sighed. "Ye're safe, Sorr," he said. He offered out his hand. "Here," he said, "go ahead and squeeze as hard as ye need. If I'm lucky, I'll be exempt from tomorrow's training for it," he laughed. Sorren didn't respond, but he took the offered hand, squeezing until Willy's fingers were numb and then some.

 

"There ye go," Willy said, wincing slightly. With what strength he could manage in his numb fingers, he squeezed back. "Ye'll be alright, buddy. Just focus."

 

……………………………………

  
  


"Are you seriously gonna make Sorren clean that pool of fish-shit?" Niles asked, not bothering to censor his profanity.

 

"Watch your tongue, Niles," Felix advised, a pleasant smile still on his face. "Some might not be as easygoing about such language. And no," he replied, "part of the challenge is being willing to get dirty. You seemed more than ready to do that for your goal, so well done," he said. The light praise made little Niles beam.

 

"What did Sorren and Will do wrong?" Niles pried. If he had a tail, he indignantly knew that it would be wagging right now.

 

"It's not a matter of what they did  _ wrong _ ," Felix said pointedly. "Just a matter of where they didn't think to look. They're your teammates, though. Make it a goal to work together when you can."

 

"You think they see it as a team?" he asked dubiously.

 

Felix paused. "They know eachother well. The balance is off, but if you all try, you can do it."

 

"Think you could tell the lovebirds that?" Niles asked bitterly.

 

Felix laughed.

  
"They'll try if you will. If not," he said, "I'll just have to arrange team-building exercises until everyone gets it through their head."


End file.
